


Together we Greet the Dawn

by Estrellas (Kireme)



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Aristocrat!Akechi, Aristocrat!Ann, F/F, Fluffy, Heian Period, M/M, Period Drama AU, Period-Typical Homophobia, Poetry, Self-Indulgent, Servant!Akira, akira kurusu bisexual mess, annshiho because LESBIAN, inaccurate depictions of heian society and court rituals, the boys exchange poems but goro doesnt know the poems from another boy, wlw and mlm solidarity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26471551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kireme/pseuds/Estrellas
Summary: In the Heian period, Goro Akechi's singleness is a tool Shido will make full use of to gain political power. Goro is being forced to wed Ann (Takamaki) Fujiwara, as an attempt for Shido to amass more power. As per court rituals, before the relationship can begin, poems must be exchanged by both parties. Goro sends a letter to Ann, but the person who brings "her" response back isn't anything he expected...
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	1. It's a Bit of a Posture, a Bit of a Stance

**Author's Note:**

> Hey gang!  
> This is completely self-indulgent. I'm taking a course in Japanese culture this semester, and we read about the ridiculous poetry rules in Heian high society. This obviously made me want to write a ridiculous AU where poetry is exchanged between two lovers *eyes emoji*  
> Also, I'm sorry if anyone is super into Heian society because I promise I did try to research but finding information was really hard. Needless to say, if you have anything to correct me on tell me in the comments!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Goro Akechi was a people pleaser. He had to be; anything less would have him killed, or worse-exiled from high society. He looked out the screen sliding door onto a beautifully arrange garden scape- a small pond filled with koi that was surrounded by willows on either side. The garden was beautiful and in full bloom by this time in the summer, even if Heian-Kyō tended to be hot around this time of year. Akechi wiped his brow, staring out into the distance. The estate lands sprawled in front of him, reflecting his status in high society. 

Well, not quite. In reality, it was Masayoshi Shido, the golden boy himself, who had become a noble ranking member of the Yamato family court. His rise to the top had come from his inexorable need to be the best-using whatever means he could. If that meant his son had to become a hitman, then so be it. And, his son came with the added benefit of being marriable. As with any child, Akechi was to become a bargaining chip for Shido to use, not only to secure his lands and fields but to secure his power within court too. 

Akechi knew his time was drawing close. He was 17 after all, way too old to be unmarried. So, it came as no surprise when Shido called him into his office to “chat.” Akechi’s socked feet pattered on the wooden floor. Servants bowed before him as he passed, but he knew it was a farce. They all chose to believe the miraculous story that he was “Found in the doorway, and taken in by the kindness of Shido’s heart” but he knew that he was truly the bastard son of that man and his prostitute mother. How fitting, his life a facade from the beginning to the end. Perhaps this would get him out of the assassin business, though. He tapped on the screen door to Shido’s workspace. 

“You may enter,” Akechi heard, grumbled through the screen door. A servant slid the door open, beckoning Akechi inside. Upon entering the room, He bowed to his father, who in turn gestured from Akechi to sit opposite of the low table Shido had been working at. 

“Akechi,” Shido started. “My ace in the hole, my son.”  _ Ah,  _ Akechi thought,  _ it seems “bargaining chip” is implied.  _ “As you know, you are well around marriage age. As I have made you into a respectable man, it is time for you to take on your first wife. Not that that needs to be your last by any means!” He derisively chuckled. “Have I the perfect woman for us.”

Shido hands Akechi a scroll scrawled full of Chinese Characters. A name, a family, and a list of assets. “Ann Fujiwara,” Akechi reads aloud.  _ So that’s what he’s playing at. Gaining power through marriage into the Fujiwara family, I see.  _ A family of standing to the Emperor, who had massive fields and servants to spare. A family that had too risen to power through political marriages. This came as no shock to Akechi, knowing how power-hungry his father was.

“The Fujiwara family is well respected. You would do good to begin courting this woman at once. They are an important asset to our future goals, so you should already be aware as to what happens if you mess this up.” 

“Of course father. I won’t let you down.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” He replied shortly. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akechi returned to his rooms swiftly. He needed to begin preparations for courting this unknown woman. Of course, it was much harder to do because he didn’t really care about impressing women, never really needed to, but knowing how to put on a mask had always been one of his strong suits. He finished reading the parchment of facts about this “Ann”. She was reserved, enjoyed long walks in her garden. Kept up to date on the latest fashions, and was even someone whom the other women looked to to obtain advice on the newest trends. Delicate, shy, dainty. Like all the women Akechi had known in his life. Nothing exciting, nothing new. 

WIthin court life, this was to be expected. Rigid social structures ensure women we coddled, and both women and men were expected to be well versed in the arts. The exchange of poetry was expected between the young aristocrats, taking into consideration everything. What kind of paper they used, how it was scented, the season, the handwriting. All of which indicated a proper upbringing, the ability to show you had what it took to be one with the elite. It was expected of Akechi to begin this intricate song and dance; to begin the exchange of poems that initiated contact between the parties. 

How was one supposed to write a love poem to one they didn’t love? How to passionately chose words when apathy wrung the soul? Akechi pulled out a sheet of sky blue paper. It matched the cloudless day that had shimmered through an open doorway in Akechi’s room. He lightly scented the paper with a small amount of musk created by blending gunpowder from fireworks with tree resin to create a light mist. With that out of the way, he picked up a brush. 

_ The summer sun plays _

_ Gently against the doorway _

_ As I await the _

_ Opportunity to see _

_ Your shimmering complexion.  _

_ How I long to see  _

_ The beauty of summer sun _

_ Side by side to this _

_ Beggar of forbidden needs, _

_ This poor fool, unskilled in love _

_ I stare longingly,  _

_ Awaiting for a day which _

_ I can call the sky _

_ And the sky responds kindly _

_ In turn sending all her love.  _

Well, it’s not like he had to be honest or anything. He just had to seem nice enough to be wed, and that would definitely hook any young girl’s heart, right? Definitely. He packed the poem into a small envelope decorated in yellow tulips and summoned a servant- a particularly pretty male- to deliver the letter to the Fujiwara house. 

He expected- as all would at this point- a prompt response. Akechi relaxed in his room and awaited a returning servant.  _ Better to just get this done and over with.  _ Akechi resigned himself to his fate. Too tired to fight it, he relaxed his hands on the table. The warmth of the room pair with his ever-increasing dread of the task put in front of him was enough to send Akechi into a solid state of sleep. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akira and Ann had been friends ever since they were young. It mattered not that Akira was a house servant, and Ann was almost the lady of the house. They couldn’t care less that their friendship was taboo, and most of the servants didn’t either. Ann was kind, and they received a fair share for the work they did. This culminated in a friendly environment in which no one felt they had to gossip about this relationship, so they didn’t. It truly worked for all parties involved. 

Needless to say, when Akechi’s courier had arrived with the letter, Ann had immediately summoned Akira to her chambers. This was the hot news, and Ann just had to share it with her best friend. 

“Ah, it seems my gentleman caller has finally...well, called!” Ann yelled at Akira. 

“Indeed he has,” Akira responded in typical cool fashion. 

“This is so exciting!” Ann smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

Akira had known for some time that Ann really wasn’t interested in guys. Like, at all. At one point he had been interested in Ann, which she had promptly shut down, citing this fact. She did not care that she was to be married though; she knew that once she was married, her husband would hardly spend any time with her, too busy with court life and official business to bother going home to visit his wife. 

That’s where Shiho came in. Quite, plain-looking, yet an oddly good eye for flower arranging, and awfully competitive, the pair had known her for five years now. She had come to the house as a servant, her family poor rice farmers who needed the extra income. In other words, she had been sold off to the Fujiwara clan, and Ann’s rooms just so happened to be where she was assigned. Which, worked out, for the most part. Akira could cover for Shiho when she was “helping Ann ready for bed” or “waking the Lady Ann up for breakfast.” Love, in these times, was rare. But what Ann and Shiho had was something precious, special to only them. If Akira though on it for too long, his heart twinged in a funny way. So, he chose not to think about it and was happy that his friends were happy. 

Ann, on the other hand, was in the middle of cutting open the letter, careful to not nick the edges of the paper, and oblivious to Akira’s quiet reflections. 

“It’s open!” She clamors, drawing Akira’s attention back to her. 

“Want me to read it?” Akira quips. 

“Ohmygod YES!” Ann replied. 

Akira chuckles while taking the letter out of Ann’s hands. “The summer sun plays gently against the doorway,” He makes his voice comically deep while reading out the poetry. Ann could be heard giggling in the background. 

As her servant finishes the poetry, Ann is in tears. “Dude. That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m the sun, huh? Too bad he’s just gonna lock me in a house and never visit me again once this is all done. Maybe I’ll be hot enough to burn it down.” 

“Ann, don’t be like that to this poor man! He pours his heart out to you and you respond laughing? How could you!?” Akira places his hand comically on his head, faking a faint. “I can’t believe you’re part of the great Fujiwara family. How do they keep you?” 

“Hey, watch how you talk to me! I could kick you out in ten seconds flat.” Ann says, sticking her tongue out. “I like you too much though, so I won’t for now.” 

They giggle together a little longer over the letter and Ann finally pulls out her paper to form a response. 

But, not exactly. While it was expected that the woman be able to beautifully write and produce poetry to send back, it was usually a servant's job to actually compose and pen it. So, after brainstorming with Akira for some time, they had a solid letter to send back. 

_ My brightness soley giv’n _

_ To you who dwells far away,  _

_ Across the beauty  _

_ Of vining wisteria _

_ Where the Cuckoo sweetly sings.  _

  
  


_ I am lost in you _

_ Wandering like a river _

_ Lost in a desert,  _

_ Begging for an oasis _

_ That is only found in you.  _

_ Hidden in a cave,  _

_ So that together we rise _

_ Stay the night with me _

_ Find me and draw me outside. _

_ Together we greet the dawn.  _

“Bro. BRO. I didn’t know you could write like that?! Have you been holding out on me this whole time?” Ann asks. 

“I would listen in on your lessons.” came Akira’s reply. “I liked practicing calligraphy in my spare time, watching how the letters curved and bent to your will fascinates me.”

“Dude, wow,” Ann said. “Would you mind delivering it? I would, but as you know, I’m not really meant to. Plus, I’m supposed to send a pretty servant.” Ann winks as she says this. 

While Akira didn’t think so, he knew she was speaking the truth. Based on the looks most of the palace girls gave him as he passed, he knew he was at least agreeable. A few of them had even asked him out for the night, but he never acquiesced. He wasn’t really interested, after all. So he metaphorically girded his loins and prepared to depart as ann put the finishing touches on her letter. She gently handed the letter off to Akira, and Akira departed for His destination. Shido’s abode. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	2. He's a bit of a Flirt, but I can't Give Him a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang, back at it again with that sweet sweet au content 
> 
> at least i think it is lol this is entirly self indulgent 
> 
> enjoy!

The path to the Shido’s house was pleasant. The sun beamed down, but not in a manner that was overbearing. It was enough to light up the swaying rice plants Akira passed as he walked, but not so much that his heavy clothes made him hot. A perfect summer day. 

Most of the time Akira didn’t appreciate being alone in his thoughts, but it was nice to once in a while indulge in his conscious. He thought about Ann, and how whoever this man was would whisk her away from what she truly loved in life. How was it fair? That this game of court politics could take away a lovely wonderful relationship. Akira quietly seethed, lamenting the delivery of this letter. If he had to even look at the man marrying Ann… He didn’t know if he could restrain himself from punching him in the face. Of course he wouldn’t (he wouldn’t want to be an embarrassment to Lady Ann and in turn the Fujiwara family,) but it was always an option. 

He continued on, admiring the small rice patties and homes along the trail. The brightness of the day illuminated the horizon for miles on end, stretching far out into the distance. He passed over a small wooden bridge, covering a small irrigation creek. Some families waved to him as he passed, some scoffed. Occasionally, he would spot a cow or too. 

Eventually, he found himself approaching the Shido Estate. There was a small garden with a pond in the middle, surrounded by willows and posed in front of a slightly ajar door. Getting closer, Akira could spot someone within the door. She was sitting, resting her head on the table in front of her. Her short honey brown hair slipped past her cheek bones, obscuring her closed eyes. He couldn’t see much more of her face but could make out her pointed chin. Honestly, it seemed a little odd that her hair was that short, but Akira wasn’t one to question things like that. She actually seemed relatively attractive, he thought to himself. Before he got caught staring, he moved past the opened door and made his way to the front of the house. 

Akira greeted the servant at the front of the house, and they exchanged names. “Yusuke,” the man had said. His hair was so black it almost appeared blue under the intense noon light. Akira shirked his sandals in the doorway and was led to a small alcove. It was simple; a table and some cushions. Another servant went off to fetch tea while Yusuke similarly ran off to fetch the elusive Goro Akechi, that this letter was supposed to be delivered to. He closed the screen door behind him, and Akira was once again alone with his thoughts. 

Akira spaced out while the servants ran off, basking in the sunlight like a cat would. He was so entranced when he heard the screen door it shocked him and immediately jumped up. “Sorry, you scared me a little!” Akira quietly giggled. 

“Oh did I? I’m sorry too!” A voice that wasn’t Yusuke’s or the tea servant’s apologized. 

Akira looked up, mortified. Upon realizing that he had been rude to a superior, and not just joking with a colleague, he bowed deeply. “My deepest apologies for speaking out of turn, sir.” 

“It’s quite alright,” the voice responded. “I should’ve been a little more cautious when opening up the door is all. Would you mind raising your head? I don’t really deserve this much respect.” The voice chuckled. 

When Akira raised his head, he saw the prettiest not-actually-a-girl he had ever seen. Goro Akechi was in front of him, ready to accept Ann’s Letter. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akechi was stirred from his catnap by a gentle knocking at the door. Was it already noon? He wondered, sitting up to prepare for whatever the servant had to say. “Enter,” Akechi commanded. 

Yusuke slid the door open gently and greeted Akechi with due respect. “Good day, sir,” Yusuke started. “It seems that a courier has arrived with a message for you.” 

Yusuke had been employed in this house for years. Also, an orphan after his mother was killed for her beautiful artwork, he had come to some of the servants and asked for odd jobs to do in exchange for a little food, a little clothing. After that, the rest was history. Yusuke was a little eccentric, typically off drawing when he wasn’t on duty, but was also one of the only servants Akechi felt he could talk to. So, they had a tentative friendship. Not too close, but enough to not be lonely within the house walls. 

“Has he? I’ll be sure to go down and greet him. Thank you, Yusuke.” Akechi replied. Sensing that his work here was done, Yusuke left the scene. 

Akechi quickly washed off his face and ran a comb through his hair. His father insisted that he was perfectly groomed when meeting guests, even if it was a servant. Show no signs of weakness, no holes. To do that meant political or societal death, whichever came first. After peering into a mirror and finding his appearance quite agreeable, he made his way to the guest room. 

Akechi slid open the guest room door, startling the boy sitting inside the room. The boy jumped up, and mumbled a half apology to him for spacing out in front of him. The boy lifted his head, and upon realizing that Akechi wasn’t simply a servant, made his way into a deep bow.  _ Ha! If only he knew I was an orphan at one point. He’d realize that I am not deserving of this respect. It’s all a farce after all, isn’t it?  _

“I don’t need that much respect,” Akechi heard himself say. 

The boy lifted his head, and Akechi was immediately entranced. Wavy black ringlets framed this boy’s face, and Akechi’s mahogany eyes met his silver. If he looked hard enough, he could almost see the tumult of the sea against the sand in them, a depth he could most certainly never reach. The boy’s mouth rested gently on a half smile, reminding Akechi that he should probably hinge his jaw back into place.  _ Oh God,  _ Akechi thought.  _ I hope he didn’t realize I was staring.  _

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akira most definitely realized the man was staring at him the moment that he lifted his head. And honestly, it was okay as Akira had been too. 

The tentative trance was broken when a servant carrying tea entered the room. “Lord Akechi, good day,” The servant said, bowing his head. Akira looked at the man. “Akechi-sama,” he bowed again. “I did not realize that was who you were.” The servant quickly poured the two boys tea and exited, closing the screen behind her. 

“It’s alright, you may lift your head,” he heard Akechi. Akira looked back up Akechi smiling in a way that almost seemed, well, fake. “I heard you have an important message for me?” 

“Well, of course it’s important, but you see, it’s not from me. It’s from Lady Ann,” Akira explained. 

“We all know that while she may have helped, it definitely wasn’t written by her,” Akechi retorted. “That’s just how court life is.”

“Of course sir,” Akira purred. He watched Akechi’s eyebrows shoot up. After admiring his handiwork, the servant continued. 

_ “Just as the sun shines,  _

_ So too does the rain pour down,  _

_ Just as days are bright,  _

_ The nighttime is lively with  _

_ The revelry of water.” _

Akira finished and walked close enough to Akechi that his face met Akechi’s ear. “Of course, this letter is from Lady Ann, so take care to read it well, sir,” Akira finished, handing the letter off to Akechi. The courier sat down at the table and picked up his cup of tea. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akechi was angry. There was no way that this pretty servant would outdo him, who had years of education and experience in the arts. He would not allow this servant to get the last word. Taking the letter from Akira, Akechi broke into his own prose. 

_ “There’s freedom in rain, _

_ That one cannot find chasing _

_ Balmy summer days, _

_ Yet tis’ duty to follow  _

_ The sunshine, never the rain.” _

Akechi looked up to meet Akira’s eyes. They were sparkling with a taunt of rivalry. 

“Not bad, pretty boy,” Akira responded. “I can’t wait to see how you respond to Milady.” 

All that for a ‘not bad’!? Akechi knew damn well how to write a poem, and he was going to write the best poetry Akira had ever seen. Anyone would fall for Akechi’s charms and Akira would be no exception. Why weren’t they working on him?

“Oh, you’ll find out,” Akechi gritted out, and slid the door open. “It’ll be the best poem you’ve ever read.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong,  _ sir, _ ” Akira asserts. “These poems are privy to Milady only.” 

Every time Akira had called him ‘sir,’ it had sent a pleasant shock down Akechi’s spine. Akira definitely did  _ not  _ need to know that though. “We’re through talking,” Akechi says, walking out the door. 

He barely hears a “we’ll see about that,” as he exits the room. 

“Hot” and “bothered” are not emotions that translate into poetry well without seeming horny on the main. Poetry required eloquence, only allusion, to what the author actually meant. Metaphors in place of anything concrete, a facade of words that prevented, yet allowed, the author to convey complex emotions such as love. There was no room for lust in these poems. 

So, he sat down and composed a poem, to relieve his one-track mind. 

_ To him who babbles _

_ About the pattering rain _

_ Heed the fact that the _

_ Rain is much preferable  _

_ Over the sun any day _

_ If allowed, I would  _

_ Bask in unceasing downpour _

_ But alas, duty  _

_ Dictates that one must love sun _

_ And forget that rain exists.  _

_ The sweet summer rain _

_ How I wish I could revel _

_ In its charms forev’r _

_ It must needs be forgotten _

_ Abandoned, cold, and lonely.  _

Content with a poem that would never again see the light of day (lest his image be slaughtered by the court, or his father murdering him), Akechi continued on to compose the one meant for his suitor. He selected the perfect paper, and set it on top of the already composed poem. Akechi wrote:

_ If I praise your looks,  _

_ Will you abandon your cave?  _

_ If unto you is giv’n  _

_ The finest of fowl, would you  _

_ Seek my awaiting refuge? _

_ I will give you all _

_ So that you need not want for _

_ Anything, not even _

_ The water unfound in the  _

_ Desolate deserts of life. _

_ Such as the goddess _

_ Amaterasu left her _

_ Crumbling dwelling,  _

_ So too do I hope you find  _

_ Solace in this poor man’s arms.  _

Akechi finishes his letter with a note. 

_ Dearest Lady Ann,  _

_ Duty dictates that I must join you in your abode this evening. This revelry must be held in secret. Is there any way that you might sneak me in? I wish to visit you dearly.  _

_ Your Suitor,  _

_ Goro Akechi _

The words left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn’t truly want to visit Ann, but it was only customary. Why should he have to sneak in anyways? It’s not like the screen doors or wooden floors made it any easier. Everyone in the house would know he was there anyways. Why was this process so frustrating? Couldn’t he just get this over with so that he never had to think about Ann again? Akechi whittled down his thumbnail thinking about it. 

A knock on his door startled him. An irritatingly familiar voice called out to him.”You know, I haven’t got all day. Servant duties and things to attend to,” Akira joked. 

Restraining himself from making a fist, Akechi ignores the taunt and shoves the letter and the poem into an envelope and scents it appropriately. He shoves open the door. 

“Here you are,” Akechi states with a barely restrained snarl. 

“You’re pretty hot when you’re angry, aren’t you?” Akira shoots back. He grabs the letter in a fell swoop and turns around before Akechi can even begin to form a response. 

“I’ll be waiting for you tonight, Akechi,” Akira states, and bounces out the door. 

_ What. The. HELL. Was. That!?  _ Akechi though. 

It was going to be one interesting evening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this lived up to the last chapter!  
> As previously stated I'm relatively new to fiction writing so I hope I'm doing an okay job!
> 
> Of course, let me know if there's something I could be doing better in the comments
> 
> or if it's completely awful just let me know so I can take it down and re-write it lol
> 
> Thanks for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this was an enjoyable read! I'm still new to fiction writing so tell me if somethings funky or if something should be fixed. Other than that, the next chapter should be up sometime in the next two weeks!
> 
> Hasta Pasta!


End file.
